.@Heritage and @freedomcaucus hosted a worthwhile discussion on the topic of Covid-19 accountability last week. Here are some highlights from the portion that addressed the issue of medical censorship. 🧵
"[Censorship resulted in] this illusion of a consensus that never existed on so many topics. We robbed the American people of a true debate, a true discussion… The truth comes from people honestly engaging with the data." @DrJBhattacharya
"There is nothing more harmful, more chilling than these laws like [#AB2098] because patients are going to suffer from this. Patients already have suffered from self-cancellation by doctors who are afraid to say the truth to their patients… " -Dr. Scott Atlas
"AB2098 effectively puts the CDC in the room with you as a patient and a doctor, so that the doctor is now thinking about what the CDC will say… The main purpose of it is to chill public discussion by dissenting doctors on matters of public health importance." @DrJBhattacharya
"The last thing I would want is to censor those who have a different view than me because I want to be able to rebut what they're saying. So I want them to be heard and then I want because it gives me an opportunity to actually counter the arguments." @MartinKulldorff
Scott Atlas and @RepRosendale also touched on the important issue of the abuse of emergency powers under the guise of protecting public health.
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It appears that the @CAPublicHealth has a contract for graphic design services related to Covid-19 for $192 million. That's $10.7 million per month to produce images like this one.
Some have suggested the money's actually going towards ad buys. Obviously they aren't really spending that much on graphic design! Still, 1) $192 million for propaganda is unconscionable, 2) they must be honest about how our money is spent, 3) no-bid contracts fuel corruption.
Joe Rogan says something inaccurate, and they try to make it out like it’s some kind of scandal. He’s shooting the shit in his podcast. He’s not pretending to deliver the news. Everyone needs to take personal responsibility for what they believe to be true.
Thank you to the Rotary Club of El Cerrito for inviting me to speak about AB2098 and the importance of free speech. Dr. Pete Mazolewski, a plaintiff in Høeg v. Newsom, was also able to join at the last minute, and it was great to have him share his perspective as a doctor.
Some people stayed away because of the topic, but it seemed like they were outnumbered by people who came because of the topic. Some knew nothing about AB2098 and said they were grateful to be informed.
I was asked how AB2098 related to one of Rotary International’s core missions of polio eradication. I pointed out that the crisis of institutional credibility, which is worsened by censorship, is already leading to lower vaccination rates for diseases like polio.
We need truth and reconciliation. Part of that process is allowing everyone who has suffered to have their stories heard. It needs to be aimed as catharsis, not stirring up anger. The other part is sorting out what accountability looks like for everyone involved in causing harm.
You can't have criminal trials for everyone who bears some culpability, when culpability is so widespread. If we insist on severe punishment for everyone, they will fight tooth and nail. That would lead to full-on civil war.
There are models for how to heal societies after widespread conflicts like civil wars. Nuremberg was an early version and focused on criminal prosecutions. The post-apartheid Truth & Reconciliation Commission in South Africa is closer to what we need.
I watched the @mvwschools Board of Trustees meeting tonight. It was about what you would expect from a district where a principal called the police on a 4-year-old for daring to show his face at school. 🧵
The superintendent presented some slides to show that masking works.🙄 I'm sure one of you can debunk these off the top of your head.
The superintendent announced tonight that masks won't be required starting tomorrow for kids like the one in the video. Yay! However, they will still be required in some situations, like for kids playing wind instruments and singing. 🤯